06 NOV 2009
_______________________________________
*Northwest pilots appeal license revocation
*Pilots, Safety Board Trade Letters Over Flight 188 Investigation
*Transport Canada to address CRJ runway excursion threat
*Airbus throws A330-200F straight into
flight-test regime during maiden sortie
*NetJets gives in, lays off pilots
*Embraer to produce large jet in China-report
*Lautenberg Co-Sponsors Legislation to Ban
Laptops in Airplane Cockpits
*Man denied first class due to track suit
*USAIG and Alertness Solutions Introduce the
First Science-Based Fatigue and Alertness Management Solution
*HindSight Safety Magazine receives prestigious award
*United plans new service to Africa
*Winglet installation underway for Hawaiian 767s
****************************************
Northwest pilots appeal license revocation
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Northwest Airlines pilots who overshot Minneapolis by
150 miles are appealing their license revocations with the National
Transportation Safety Board.
The appeals were filed late Wednesday, said board spokesman Ted
Lopatkiewicz. He said that appeals typically are heard by an administrative
law judge with the board within 120 days.
The Federal Aviation Administration revoked the licenses of Capt. Timothy
Cheney of Gig Harbor, Wash., and First Officer Richard Cole of Salem, Ore.,
last week. The agency said the pilots put the 144 passengers of Northwest
Flight 188 in serious danger on Oct. 21 when they failed to communicate with
anyone on the ground for 91 minutes despite repeated attempts by air traffic
controllers and their own airline to reach them.
There is a discrepancy between FAA and NTSB over exactly how long the flight
was out of radio contact. FAA said 91 minutes in letters sent to the pilots
six days after the incident. NTSB officials told reporters Thursday it was
actually 77 minutes. FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown would not confirm either
figure, saying the agency is working on a timeline of the event and will
know more next week.
Cheney and Cole told investigators they lost track of time and place while
working on crew scheduling on their laptops. They said they didn't realize
their situation until a flight attendant contacted them on the intercom to
ask when the plane would be landing. By then, the Airbus A320 was over
Wisconsin at 37,000 feet. The pilots turned the plane around and landed
safely in Minneapolis.
Attorneys for the pilots declined to comment.
The incident raised national security concerns. Senior White House officials
were notified by the White House situation room during the incident. Fighter
jets in two locations were moments away from taking off to track down the
errant airliner when contact was re-established.
FAA and NTSB investigators were in Colorado Wednesday, where they
interviewed controllers at FAA's radar center in Longmont. FAA investigators
also spoke with military officials at the North American Aerospace Defense
Command, Brown said.
Investigators plan to interview controllers in Minneapolis on Friday, NTSB
spokesman Keith Holloway said.
The U.S. military would have launched fighters if it had been notified
sooner. Gen. Gene Renuart, who heads U.S. Northern Command, has said he
learned of the incident just four or five minutes before the FAA regained
contact with the pilots. The delay has raised questions about whether
controllers complied with procedures put in place after the 9/11 terrorist
attacks.
Two bills were introduced in the Senate Thursday to ban nonessential
electronics, including personal laptops, from the cockpit.
"We simply want to ensure that, with all of the electronic distractions
available these days, flying the plane remains the one and only focus," Sen.
Robert Menendez, D-N.J., the author of one of the bills, said in a
statement.
FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said Wednesday that the Northwest incident
is the result of an erosion of professionalism among commercial airline
pilots.
"I think that this is a sign of a much bigger problem," Babbitt said in a
speech to an aviation club. "I can't regulate professionalism. With
everything we know about human factors, there are still those who just
ignore the commonsense rules of safety."
*****************
Pilots, Safety Board Trade Letters Over Flight 188 Investigation
Should federal accident investigators have revealed the reason two pilots
say they overshot Minneapolis airport last week?
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Should federal accident investigators have revealed the
reason two pilots say they overshot Minneapolis airport last week?
No, says the nation's largest association of professional pilots, saying the
National Transportation Safety Board wrongly tried to "satisfy insatiable
news media demands" when it revealed that Northwest Airlines pilots say they
missed a scheduled landing because they were on their personal laptop
computers.
Yes, says the safety board, which says that it has a long history of
releasing factual information, which it says reduces media speculation and
uninformed public assessments.
In an exchange of letters late this week, the two organizations engaged in
virtual fisticuffs over the incident -- an incident that has brought
ridicule to a prideful profession.
The dispute ignited after the safety board issued a news release Monday
summarizing five hours of interviews with the pilot and co-pilot of
Northwest Flight 188. The press release noted the pilots' experience and
clean flying record, and their denial of reports that they had a heated
argument in the cockpit.
It went on to say both pilots "lost track of time" while discussing the
airline's new pilot scheduling system.
"Each pilot accessed and used his personal laptop computer while they
discussed (the scheduling system)," the news release said, adding, "The use
of personal computers (in the cockpit) is prohibited by company policy."
"The pilots said there was a concentrated period of discussion where they
did not monitor the airplane or calls from ATC (air traffic controllers)
even though both stated they heard conversation on the radio," the news
release said.
But that was going too far, a leading pilots' group said.
On Thursday, the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) wrote to the safety
board saying the organization's 53,500 professional pilots were disappointed
in the board's release of information, saying it harmed voluntary reporting
programs.
Pilots voluntary provide information to several programs with the
understanding it will be used solely to improve aviation safety, ALPA said.
"The same is true for participation in an NTSB interview, that the
information will be used for safety purposes and not for a trial in the
press," it added.
"While we support your stated goal of complete transparency in NTSB
investigations, we cannot support early release of information precipitated
by that desire to appease the news media," ALPA President John Prater wrote.
We beg to differ, responded safety board chair Deborah A.P. Hersman.
"Experience has demonstrated that the release of factual information greatly
reduces media speculation and the uninformed assessments of those commenting
on the accident," she wrote in a letter to Prater.
In the five days before the safety board's news release, she wrote, there
was "considerable speculation that the crew had fallen asleep" during the
flight.
Hersman said she does not think safety board news releases harm voluntary
reporting programs, nor the board's investigations.
"We have operated for years under this system ... without significantly
impairing our ability to get information from ... witnesses," she wrote.
Flight 188 was flying from San Diego, California, to the Minneapolis-St.
Paul airport in Minnesota on October 21 when air traffic controllers lost
radio contact with the Airbus A320 over the Denver, Colorado, area.
The plane continued flying at 35,000 feet until 36 minutes after it was to
have begun its descent for landing -- and after 91 minutes of no radio
contact.
The Federal Aviation Administration this week revoked the licenses of the
pilots -- Northwest Captain Timothy B. Cheney and First Officer Richard I.
Cole -- saying they had been "extremely reckless."
http://www.wibw.com/nationalnews/headlines/67774797.html
****************
Transport Canada to address CRJ runway excursion threat
Transport Canada says it plans to issue an airworthiness directive (AD) "at
the earliest opportunity" to address faulty hydraulic accumulator end caps
that can rip through systems and structures on Bombardier CRJ100 and CRJ200
aircraft.
The safety regulator last week issued a similar AD for several Bombardier
business jets that use the same actuators, calling on operators to inspect
the part numbers of the accumulators and replace certain units within 50h of
the 10 November effective date of the AD.
The directive was prompted by "seven cases of on-ground hydraulic
accumulator screw cap or end cap failures" on CRJ aircraft, according to
Transport Canada. The failures resulted in loss of the "associated hydraulic
system and high-energy impact damage to adjacent systems and structure",
according to the business jet AD.
Transport Canada says the lowest flight time on a failed unit was 6,991
cycles.
A worst case failure, according to the regulator, would involve the failure
of a brake accumulator screw cap or end cap, "resulting in impact damage
causing loss of both hydraulic systems No.2 and No.3, with consequent loss
of both braking and nose wheel steering and the potential for a runway
excursion".
Transport Canada says it is waiting for Bombardier to "supply the department
with a service bulletin" before it can issue the CRJ AD.
Bombardier could not be immediately reached for comment.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
***************
Airbus throws A330-200F straight into flight-test regime during maiden
sortie
Airbus put the A330-200 Freighter through an intense test regime during its
first flight earlier today, operating the aircraft up to its maximum speed
and altitude and testing its revised nose landing gear arrangement.
"We flew the aircraft to 41,000ft [12,500m] and to the maximum speed of
330kt [610km/h]," says Airbus test pilot Philippe Perrin, who captained the
first flight. "We also flew the aircraft down to its lowest speed - 'Alpha
Max'."
Part of the reason to operate to the maximum altitude was to evaluate the
sealing of the large maindeck cargo door, says Perrin: "The pressure held
very well."
Alongside Perrin for the 3h 50min flight was co-pilot Martin Scheuermann and
test-flight engineers Wolfgang Brueggemann, Stephane Vaux and Pascal
Verneau.
Perrin says that the crew were keen to test the modified nose-gear
arrangement, which incorporates an external blimp fairing to accommodate the
lower leg attachment. The revised attachment is needed to ensure the
aircraft sits level on the ground for loading.
"We wanted to check the operation of the new doors, which behaved very
nicely," he says, adding that there were no noise or buffet issues with the
fairing.
When it returned to land from its maiden sortie, the A330 flew two autoland
approaches, including a late go-around and a touch-and-go, before making a
full-stop landing.
Perrin says that during the A330-200F will be operated in "extreme flight
configurations" during the 4-5 month flight-test programme. Part of the
trials will be used to extend the A330's centre of gravity (CofG) by 3% over
the passenger version, to improve flexibility when loading freight pallets
of varying weights throughout the aircraft's maindeck cargo bay.
The 180h flight-test programme is due to be culminate in simultaneous
European Aviation Safety Agency and US Federal Aviation Administration
certification in March. First delivery to launch customer Etihad Airways
will take place in August.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
***************
NetJets gives in, lays off pilots
Almost 500 to get layoff notices as recession continues killing demand for
private-jet travel
NetJets Inc. will lay off almost 500 pilots, including about 50 based in
central Ohio, as the company deals with a prolonged economic downturn that
has reduced demand for private-jet travel.
For the first six months of the year, NetJets lost nearly $350 million --
much of that attributed to the rapidly falling value of its aircraft.
NetJets has more than 3,000 pilots worldwide, with most of them located in
the United States.
The layoffs, which will take effect in mid-January, are in addition to the
layoffs of about 350 employees, or 5 percent of NetJets' work force, in
September. None of those were pilots.
NetJets expects pilot layoffs will total 495, although Chairman and CEO
David Sokol said the number could end up being lower after discussions with
the pilots union. Pilots will receive two months of pay after being
furloughed and will be eligible to be called back in accordance with union
rules as pilot jobs are added in the future, he said.
Sokol, who replaced Richard Santulli as leader of the Columbus-based
Berkshire Hathaway unit in August, said it was a "difficult decision" driven
by a belief that demand for private-jet service isn't expected to recover
soon.
NetJets pioneered the fractional-ownership model in the private-jet
industry, allowing customers to buy a share in a jet rather than taking on
the cost of operating their own private aircraft.
Even after the layoffs, the company will remain several times larger than
any of its competitors, Sokol said.
Efforts to avoid layoffs had been under way for months.
The company's in-house pilots union took on a set of voluntary measures,
including early retirement and unpaid leave, aimed at avoiding furloughs in
May.
In late June, the company said it would not lay off pilots.
Sokol said the earlier decision not to furlough pilots was probably "overly
optimistic" in hindsight.
Sonya Cook, general counsel for the NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft
Pilots union, said NetJets pilots have "hung in there, given what's been
going on in the aviation industry. We did what we could. . The voluntary
measures were temporarily successful but not enough in the end."
Cook added that the union will try to aid furloughed pilots in finding
temporary employment, with the hope that they will be called back "sooner
rather than later" when market conditions improve.
Santulli, the previous chairman and CEO, abruptly resigned in August, just
ahead of an announcement of a quarterly loss of $253 million. The majority
of that loss was attributed to write-downs on the value of aircraft.
The industrywide downturn in private-jet sales and book values points to a
tough road ahead for NetJets even with a leaner payroll, said industry
veteran Mike Riegel of Nevada-based private-jet advisory firm Aviation IQ.
"What I think this (downturn) has done is show up the fact, rather
embarrassingly, that NetJets doesn't and hasn't for a very long time made
money on the operation of its aircraft," Riegel said. "Fractional firms and
especially NetJets have made money on the sales (of shares in planes). The
economy was bound to catch up with that."
Riegel said while the fractional model is still viable, companies such as
NetJets need to move quickly to address underlying issues that were too long
ignored.
"If you look at NetJets and the savings they're hoping to have from laying
people off, they're just a drop in the ocean," Riegel said.
"They've got more fundamental problems, such as reducing their aircraft
types and going to ones that are more efficient and can make money."
Separately, Sokol confirmed that the Woodbridge, N.J., office that was the
corporate headquarters of NetJets under Santulli closed this week. It had
fewer than 20 employees, primarily in marketing functions, who were either
relocated or laid off.
Sokol made Columbus the company headquarters. The city had always been home
to NetJets' operations center.
http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2009/11/06/net
jets_pilots.ART_ART_11-06-09_A12_K9FJ8AF.html?sid=101
**************
Embraer to produce large jet in China-report
SAO PAULO, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Brazilian aircraft maker Embraer
(EMBR3.SA)(ERJ.N) will produce its 120-seat E-190 jet in China to respond
faster when the country's aviation market recovers, O Estado de S. Paulo
said on Friday.
The world's largest maker of regional jets has also decided to abandon the
manufacturing of the smaller 50-seat ERJ-145 jet, Estado said.
Embraer is ironing out details of the accord with its Chinese partner Avic,
which recently unveiled plans to sell mid-sized jets that would compete with
Embraer's aircraft, Estado reported.
Embraer has a plant in the Chinese city of Harbin, and at one point
considered shutting it down, the newspaper reported. The plant only
manufactures ERJ-145 jets.
Embraer's Chinese subsidiary declined comment, Estado said. A spokesman for
Embraer in its headquarters of Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil, told Reuters the
company would not comment on the Estado report. The newspaper did not say
how it obtained the information
http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSN0616999920091106
***************
Lautenberg Co-Sponsors Legislation to Ban Laptops in Airplane Cockpits
By Office of Senator Frank R. Lautenberg
U.S. Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Subcommittee on
Aviation Operations, Safety and Security, today co-sponsored legislation
that would prohibit the use of laptop computers and other personal
electronic devices in airline cockpits. The legislation, which was
introduced today, follows questions raised by Senator Lautenberg regarding
the use of electronic devices in cockpits during a recent hearing with
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.
"Distracted flying is a recipe for disaster," stated Sen. Lautenberg. "Our
bill would reduce distractions in the cockpit and help air carriers provide
greater safety assurances to air travelers. With the growing use of portable
electronic devices, it is critical that Congress step-up and crack down on
dangers that confront our transportation network."
The legislation allows the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to suspend
or revoke a pilot's certificate or impose civil penalties for a violation.
It also gives the FAA appropriate discretion to address issues related to
changing technology or identifying any potential unintended consequences of
the ban.
Sen. Lautenberg, a leader in the effort to crack down on distracted driving,
recently introduced legislation with Sen. John Rockefeller (D-WV) to address
the use of electronic devices in both passenger and commercial vehicles.
http://www.thealternativepress.com/article.asp?news=7772&Lautenberg-Co-Spons
ors-Legislation-to-Ban-Laptops-in-Airplane-Cockpits-
****************
Man denied first class due to track suit
DULLES, Va., Nov. 5 (UPI) -- A Maryland man said a United Airlines gate
agent at a Virginia airport refused to allow him into the first-class cabin
because he was wearing a track suit.
Armando Alvarez, a corporate vice president with Best Buy, said he used his
United miles to upgrade to first class for his Oct. 26 flight from Dulles
International Airport to Connecticut to visit the company's headquarters but
the gate agent refused to let him enter the cabin, WTTG-TV, Washington,
reported Thursday.
Alvarez said the agent told him he was dressed too casually for first class.
"I was humiliated. I was embarrassed and when some of the passengers were
boarding behind me they said, 'Hey, what just happened?' And I said the
agent just said I wasn't properly dressed to go in first class today. And
they said, 'Was he kidding?' I said obviously not because I'm boarding and
not getting in first class," Alvarez said.
United Airlines said the gate agent, a contract employee who works for Air
Wisconsin, is being interviewed and security footage is being reviewed as
part of a probe into the incident. Officials said United's dress code only
stipulates that passengers wear clothes and shoes.
***************
USAIG and Alertness Solutions Introduce the First Science-Based Fatigue and
Alertness Management Solution
USAIG, America's First Name in Aviation InsuranceR, and Alertness Solutions
- two well respected companies in their fields who share a common safety
vision - introduce the first science-based fatigue and alertness management
solution that is designed to reduce risk for aviation professionals.
The Z-Coach Game Plan is web-based and available 24/7, making it accessible
to employees who are geographically dispersed. It establishes a secure and
private relationship between the individual user and Z-Coach.
The Z-Coach Program is unique to the aviation insurance industry because it
focuses on the individual, providing practical tools for each person to
understand and manage their personal fatigue thresholds and levels of
alertness. It coaches the user on how to implement simple, but effective
countermeasures to meet the challenges posed by stress, irregular work hours
and the constant disruption of normal sleep habits - all things aviation
professionals deal with almost every day.
David L. McKay, President and COO of USAIG said "Dr. Rosekind's science
based approach to fatigue management is here now, provides practical, real
world fatigue countermeasures and we believe, if widely deployed and
adopted, will have a major impact on improving aviation safety. We are
thrilled to partner with Alertness Solutions to bring Z-Coach to our
customers and help move this critical safety initiative forward."
Z-Coach inventor, Dr. Mark Rosekind, President and Chief Scientist of
Alertness Solutions, has spent two decades studying the science of sleep and
fatigue management. USAIG has a remarkable eighty-one year history of - and
commitment to - aviation safety.
USAIG is making Z-Coach available to its corporate and turbine charter
operator policy holders on beneficial terms, set forth in greater detail in
their policies.
http://www.rotor.com/Default.aspx?tabid=510&newsid905=62550
****************
HindSight Safety Magazine receives prestigious award
EUROCONTROL's aviation safety magazine for air traffic control HindSight
received an award on 3 November 2009 for the best aviation safety
publication the Cecil Brownlow Publication Award.
This award was first presented in 1968 as the Flight Safety Foundation (FSF)
Publication Award and was renamed in 1988 in memory of Cecil A. Brownlow, an
aviation journalist and a former FSF editor.
It recognises significant contributions to aviation safety awareness.
Recipients may be individuals, publications or organisations for consistent
achievement or for outstanding articles, books or works in electronic media
which have been published or broadcast over a 12-month period.
HindSight is a magazine produced by the Safety Improvement Sub-Group (SISG)
of EUROCONTROL. It is issued by the Agency twice a year. Its main function
is to help operational air traffic controllers and pilots share in the
experiences of others who have been involved in ATM-related safety
occurrences.
In this way, they have an opportunity to:
.broaden their experience of the problems that may be encountered;
.consider the available solutions;
.therefore, be better prepared should they meet similar occurrences
themselves.
Around 5 000 copies of each issue are circulated globally to air traffic
controllers, aircraft operators, airlines, user associations, heads of ACCs,
and working groups, in addition to the electronic copy of Hindsight Magazine
available on the Eurocontrol site.
Source: EUROCONTROL
**************
United plans new service to Africa
United in May of next year plans to introduce its first service to the
African continent with the launch of flights from its Washington Dulles hub
to Accra, Ghana and Lagos, Nigeria.
The carrier plans to offer once-daily, same plane service from Washington
with a Boeing 767 to each city beginning 2 May.
Additionally, United plans to extend its daily Washington-Kuwait flight
operated with a Boeing 777 to include Bahrain beginning 18 April.
From its Chicago hub United on 28 March aims to introduce new service to
Brussels operated by 767s. The new flight will allow United's passengers to
connect on flights offered by future fellow Star Alliance member Brussels
Airlines, who is scheduled to officially join the group on 9 December.
In a statement United explains the new routes are consistent with the 2010
capacity outlook United supplied at the release of its third quarter
earnings and "reflect the continuing optimization of United's international
network".
For the full year 2010 United estimates mainline capacity to fall 0.5% to
1.5% while consolidated capacity could be down 0.5% to up 0.5%.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
***************
Winglet installation underway for Hawaiian 767s
Hawaiian Airlines has installed blended winglets on its first Boeing
767-300ER following FAA certification of the 767 modification.
The airline expects to complete installation on seven other aircraft by
summer 2010, per a September 2008 deal with Aviation Partners Boeing.
Winglets smooth out airflow across the upper wing near the tip, which
results in reduced drag and also decreases the amount of thrust required to
operate an aircraft at the same speed.
Hawaiian expects to save between 700USgal (2,649.8 litres) and 800USgal
(3,028.3 litres) of fuel for every roundtrip between the West Coast and
Hawaii, or roughly 2 million USgal (7.6 million litres) of fuel per year.
In addition, the winglets are expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by
2,250 tons per aircraft per year, or nearly 18,000 tons annually once all
eight aircraft are equipped with winglets.
Wings fitted with winglets also produce more aerodynamic lift, which will
allow Hawaiian's 767s to carry between 10,000lb (4,535.9kg) and 15,000lb (6
803.9kg) additional payload on certain weight-restricted flights.
The carrier will also use winglets on its forthcoming fleet of new Airbus
A330 aircraft, which will be delivered starting in April 2010 with
factory-installed winglets.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
****************
Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP
CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC